Vanderbilt Commodores

Vanderbilt Sends Rival Tennessee Home From SEC Tournament

The Commodores led by as many as 21 points against the Lady Volunteers and advance to the quarterfinal round on Friday.
Taylor Hodges|
Vanderbilt guard Mikayla Blakes (1) tries to shoot past Tennessee guard Ruby Whitehorn (2) during the fourth quarter at Memorial Gym in Nashville, Tenn., Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025.
Vanderbilt guard Mikayla Blakes (1) tries to shoot past Tennessee guard Ruby Whitehorn (2) during the fourth quarter at Memorial Gym in Nashville, Tenn., Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025. | Andrew Nelles / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Vanderbilt women’s basketball had a historic season and added another historical achievement to its resume. For the first-time ever, the Commodores have beaten their biggest rival, Tennessee, twice in one season.

The Commodores sent the Lady Volunteers home from the 2025 SEC Women’s Basketball Tournament with an 84-76 win Thursday morning.

From the opening tipoff, the Commodores and Lady Volunteers battled hard and fast. Both teams implemented high-pressing defenses that led to plenty of turnovers, steals, blocked shots and second-chance point attempts.

Vanderbilt won the first quarter behind a motivated performance from Khamil Pierre, who wasn’t named to any all-SEC teams, with six points, six rebounds, one assist and one steal in the opening frame. The SEC Freshman of Year Mikayla Blakes added five points of her as Vanderbilt led 27-20 after the first quarter.

But the Lady Volunteers went on a 6-0 run in less than a minute of gametime to take its first lead of the game with less than five minutes to go in the second quarter. Vanderbilt’s offense went cold, making just 1-of-10 field goals as Tennessee took the lead and held Blakes scoreless.

With Vanderbilt’s best scorer struggling, Iyana Moore stepped up. Moore broke the scoring drought late in the quarter with a three-pointer and Pierre got a steal and easy layup on the ensuing possession that put the Commodores back in the lead.

Moore continued to stay hot to start the second half and Blakes began to play like her normal self and Vanderbilt built its largest lead (21 points). Moore and Blakes combined to score 22 of the Commodores’ 24 third quarter points.

Tennessee made things interesting late in the game, going on an 8-0 run (and four-straight Vanderbilt turnovers) to close the deficit to 79-72 with 40 seconds left to play.

After scoring just five points in the first half, Blakes showed why she’s SEC’s best freshman, scoring 24 points on 8-of-20 attempts and all but one of her free throw attempts. She’d end the game with 24 points and four assists. Moore ended up with 23 points, including a perfect 4-for-4 from beyond the arch.

Pierre recorded her 16th double-double this season despite getting into foul trouble early in the third quarter and spending most of the quarter on the bench. She had 16 points and 15 rebounds.

Vanderbilt advances to the quarterfinal round of the SEC Tournament on Friday against No. 1-seed South Carolina. The game will air on ESPN starting at 11 a.m.

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Taylor Hodges
TAYLOR HODGES

Award-winning sports editor, writer, columnist, and photographer with 15 years’ experience offering his opinion and insight about the sports world in Mississippi and Texas, but he was taken to Razorback pep rallies at Billy Bob's Texas in Fort Worth before he could walk. Taylor has covered all levels of sports, from small high schools in the Mississippi Delta to NFL games. Follow Taylor on Twitter and Facebook.

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